The Puffin Book of Nonsense Verse
Quentin Blake (editor and illustrator)
(UK: Puffin, 1996; USA: Puffin, 1997)

Ever eaten Poodle Strudel? Slain a Jabberwock? Bathed in Irish Stew? Quentin Blake is one of the best loved of children’s illustrators. In this brilliant book he has selected and illustrated his favourite comic verse, making it pure entertainment for nonsense-lovers of all ages.

Recommended by:
Liz Fay

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (The Puffin Book of Nonsense Verse)
Available in the USA via Amazon (The Puffin Book of Nonsense Verse)

The Map and the Clock: A Laureate’s Choice of the Poetry of Britain and Ireland
Carol Ann Duffy and Gillian Clarke (editors)
(UK: Faber & Faber, 2016)

Curated by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and by Gillian Clarke, National Poet of Wales, this anthology gathers fourteen centuries of extraordinary verse – beginning with the first writings from the old languages of England and Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and culminating in some of our most recent poets, speaking in our present-day tongues.

Recommended by:
Christopher Norris, Jolabokaflod Book Campaign

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (The Map and the Clock: A Laureate’s Choice of the Poetry of Britain and Ireland)

The Nation’s Favourite Poems
Various
(UK: BBC Books, 1996)

In a nationwide poll to discover Britain’s favourite poem, Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If…’ was voted number one. This unique anthology brings together the results of the poll in a collection of the UK’s 100 best loved poems. Among the selection are popular classics such as Tennyson’s ‘The Lady of Shallott’ and Wordsworth’s ‘The Daffodils’ alongside contemporary poetry such as Allan Ahlberg’s ‘Please Mrs Butler’ and Jenny Joseph’s ‘Warning’. Also included is the poignant ‘Do not Stand at my Grave and Weep’.

Recommended by:
Jane Johnson

Available in the UK via ‘My Local Bookshop‘ search engine or Amazon (The Nation’s Favourite Poems)